Now shipping: Redrock Micro Scout – A New Kind of Active Camera Cage

Redrock Micro are renowned for being a very innovative manufacturer of gear. Well, they proved their status again last year with this very interesting looking device, known as the “Scout” active camera cage. Now it’s finally shipping.

The idea is to include everything that is needed for manual focus control into a small and lightweight handheld camera cage. The result looks really promising.

There are two versions available, the Scout HS and the Scout HX. The main difference between both models is the lack of the built-in microRemote base station in the HS version. If you already own such a base station and a respective torque motor, this is for you.

The HX version is the far more sophisticated one, as the base station is already included (built-in) as well as a torque motor. All you need is your camera to be ready to go out and shoot.

The built-in fingerwheel communicates directly with the torque motor attached to the rig. So you can use both hands to comfortably hold your camera while maintaining the ability to nail the focus. With the microRemote base station built-in, you can let your AC pull focus with the microRemote Handheld Controller.

The cage can accommodate a wide range of mirrorless and DSLR cameras ranging from 91mm to 125mm tall and the camera can slide left to right in order to keep perfect balance. With the optional rail clamp, it’s easy to swap the whole rig from handheld to studio or shoulder mount. A neat feature for that is the external fingerwheel port which allows you to switch from the built-in fingerwheel to a remote one really quickly. When using a DJI Ronin gimbal, you can pop the Scout right on, no adapters needed.

The unit itself is powered with a standard Canon LP-E6 battery.

The active camera cage gives you one additional cold-show mount for accessories while the other one is used to accommodate the 4″ Rhino Mount for the torque motor.

The built-in base station is capable of calibrating both cine lenses with hard stops and photo lenses without these hard stops. Watch this video for an idea of how easy it is to set everything up. Please make sure to switch off the audio, it’s pretty nerve-wracking!

Pricing and comparison

Pricing is $595 for the HS version and $2,199 for the HX version for the intro period. After that, the regular pricing will be $200 more for the HS and $300 more for the HX version.

It’s nice to see how Redrock Micro listens to their customers and have a good sense of what might be useful in the field. The fact that they have used this feedback to improve their active camera cage range is much appreciated.

Olaf von Voss is a freelance cameraman who is in business for nearly a decade. He is living in Berlin, Germany but has traveled the world as well while shooting mostly music related documentaries and shows.

Send a message toOlaf von Voss

Olaf von Voss is a freelance cameraman who is in business for nearly a decade. He is living in Berlin, Germany but has traveled the world as well while shooting mostly music related documentaries and shows.

Haha I was about to say the same thing… its like a tutorial on sound with the audio clipping. Not to mention he shoulder mounts the rig at 1:27 and proceeds to stare at the monitor which isn’t even plugged in.

Bernard Shaw
January 21, 2016

Is the basic unit $2199 or $599??? It looks like it costs $2199 for the NON remote unit. This is pretty steep. Wow, I am liking my Canon 70D more and more. Yes requires Magic Lantern Raw capture but the quantum leap in real auto focus it provides obviates the need for this unit for the most part. And my C100 Mark II also. Yes I wish Canon would move ahead with 4K without going to $15000. Black Magic Mini Ursa 4.6K and Sony FS5 would be fabulous if they had Canon Dual Pixel autofocus. Darn people get it together.

the HS version, which lacks the build in microRemote basestation and the torque motor, costs $595 – for now.
The HX version, which comes with a build in microRemote basestation and with a torque motor included, costs $2,199.
However, for remote focus control you’ll need the optional microRemote handheld wireless focus controller, which costs $995 as of today.

Please let us know how this can be done cheaper and more reliable? I am interested in something for my A7sII and ronin M so I can focus with a thumb or finger wheel and operate the ronin M, Also from the pictures it looks like with the Scout on a Ronin there is not enough space for a HDMI cable to come out of the A7sII to a Monitor on a gimble.

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